The Farming Systems Approach to Adaptive Research

Abstract

Development of the methodology and practice of farming systems research (FSR) stems largely from the pioneering work of research workers at the Guatemalan Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology (ICTA), and certain of the International Agricultural Research Centres (IARCs), notably the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) in Mexico and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines. They have played a major role in the field application of FSR, including the Eastern Africa Programme of CIMMYT under the directorship of M. P. Collinson. From his considerable African experience, he independently evolved a farming systems approach to small farm management research. A similar approach was also used by D. W. Norman at Ahmadu Bello University in Nigeria. These three sources are naturally strong protagonists of FSR and they are in fairly close agreement on its methodology and procedures. However, they do place different emphases on the various aspects of procedure.

I am indebted to Michael Collinson for his comments on an early draft of this chapter. They enabled me to remove several ambiguities and errors and to present a more accurate picture of FSR.